Chris Brown Grammy appearance panned on Twitterverse

I was alone in my apartment while watching the Grammys on Sunday night, but my 750 Twitter followers made for good company.

Among my tweeps, there were three main narratives on Grammy night: sadness about Whitney Houston's death, satisfaction that a talented singer like Adele got her due and disgust that Chris Brown was heavily featured.

The blowup that led to Chris Brown's domestic violence charges happened in the early morning on Feb. 8 in 2009, the day both Brown and his girlfriend Rihanna were set to perform at the Grammys.

A photo of Rihanna's battered face was leaked to the gossip website TMZ and proved shocking to members of the public. Brown ultimately reached a plea deal on his charges resulting in probation and community service.

Subsequently, he issued an apology to Rihanna and his fans via YouTube and while his career took a hit for a while, he had a big year in 2011, releasing a new album full of hits.

On Grammy night he was heavily featured, performing twice and taking home the Grammy for best R and B album.

Clearly in the eyes of the music industry, all was forgotten.

Only that's not what happened on Twitter, where poster after poster expressed they were upset about Brown being celebrated.

Among people who actually attended the Grammys, only country artist Miranda Lambert seemed to side with the masses.

"And Chris Brown twice? I don't get it. He beat on a girl ... Not cool that we act like that didn't happen."

Here's how Vancouver gossip blogger Elaine Liu, also known as Lainey Gossip, described the impact of what happened.

"This is why bullying is a problem. This is the disconnect. All of you in the schools who don't understand what's happening? This is what's wrong.

The abuser is a hero. The victim better damn well get over it. That's the narrative and it's so clear. You think that doesn't apply where you are? You think your daughter didn't watch how this went down?"

Of course Brown faced his critics with his usual grace, taking to Twitter to respond.

He deleted the tweet but not before a staffer at mashable.com grabbed a screen capture.

A celebrity behaving badly is hardly unusual, and. as some have pointed out, the public has forgiven Charlie Sheen, and Sean Penn, who went on to win two Oscars and is highly regarded in his industry.

Was the outrage simply that it was too soon for Brown to be featured?

That could be part of it. Another issue might be that many of Brown's fans are impressionable teens. Some have suggested that the public will forgive a white actor much more quickly than a black singer.

Whatever the reason, the Twitter reaction to Brown at the Grammys shows while he may be welcome within the music industry, he's got a long way to go before being redeemed in the eyes of the public.

Reka Szekely's social media column appears every Thursday in this space. Contact her on Facebook, Twitter (@rszekely) or e-mail at rszekely@durhamregion.com